Routine
by annakendrickfortyseven
Summary: Beca and Chloe are best friends, until tragedy strikes and they are faced with some difficult issues. Will their friendship crumble, or evolve in to something more? (Bechloe, side Jaubrey) Trigger Warnings: Rape.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the first fic I've had the guts to publish, so all reviews, both positive and negative are extremely welcome. Hope you enjoy it! **

"And that was Bat Out Of Hell by Meatloaf, finishing off tonight's show from me, Beca Mitchell. Please stay tuned to 95.7, WBUJ - music for the independent mind, and welcome our next host Luke Bryant, and as always, stay safe tonight!"

Beca slipped off her headphones and cued the next song, as the light signalling that she was on air faded out. The petite woman poked her head out of the booth.

"Luke, you have about 2 minutes to get your ass up here, I'm leaving!" she shouted up the stairs. She packed up her bag and wished Luke a good evening as she began the ten minute walk to Chloe's dorm. She walked quickly, not only because dusk was approaching, and she hated walking alone at night, but also because her best friend would be waiting for her. Thursday night was movie night, and they had a routine: Beca left the station at 7:10, and always arrived at Chloe's by 7:30 to start the movie. It was all part of Chloe's plan to give Beca a "moviecation" and while Beca protested, both girls knew her appreciation for the movies they watched grew each week, and the evenings they shared were special.

* * *

Chloe glanced at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time - 20:08. Beca was never this late for movie night. It wasn't even like she had an excuse to be late, it's not like you can get caught in traffic on a ten minute walk, can you? She tried Beca's phone again, and it went straight to voicemail for the sixth time. Chloe got up from her spot on the sofa and walked into Aubrey's room, where she found Jesse and Aubrey lying in bed, cuddling. She quickly averted her eyes until Aubrey reassured her they were both fully clothed.

"Shit, sorry Jesse, I didn't realise you were here." she giggled, and then remembered the matter at hand, and turned her attention to the blonde, before it occurred to her that Jesse was actually more likely to know of Beca's whereabouts as they were closer.

"Guys, have you heard from Beca in the last hour or two?" she asked as casually as she could, although the concern in her voice was obvious.

"Wait, is she not here? I thought tonight was your movie night or whatever?" Aubrey replied.

"Yeah, she was supposed to be here at 7:30. She comes straight from her shift at the station"

"Have you tried phoning Luke? I think he takes the shift after her." Jesse suggested.

"I tried him already. He said she left straight after her shift at about 10 past, and that's like an hour ago now."

"Maybe she just forgot and went home."

"No, Bree" the redhead replied. "She wouldn't just forget. She's not like that. Anyway, I spoke to her at lunch to ask her to bring popcorn."

However, Chloe was at the point where anything was worth a shot, and an awkward phone call to Kimmy-Jin confirmed her suspicions - Beca was not at her dorm. Chloe was now becoming panicky, and it was ultimately Jesse who had to make the decision to go out looking for her. The trio got into Jesse's car, the redhead sitting in the back, and made the short trip to the station. Chloe tapped on the door, loudly so Luke could hear her over the music. He opened the door to find a tearful Chloe, and he pulled her into his arms.

"Hey, hey, Chloe," he said softly. "What's up babe?"

"It's Beca"

"Wait, what? She still hasn't turned up?"

"Uh-uh." Chloe said, and Luke squeezed her arm.

"I'm sure she's fine, don't worry. Look, this song's about to finish, and there isn't another one cued up. Why don't you try driving home the way she would have walked?" Luke suggested.

Chloe nodded, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Hey, Chloe? Let me know when you find her, okay? Just let me know if you need anything. Promise me?"

Chloe nodded, as she swallowed heavily, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat.

Luke gave Chloe one last hug and she left, as she heard him crash back into the booth just as the song reached its end.

Chloe got back into Jesse's car, and told them Luke's idea. They drove back slowly, retracing all the possible paths Beca could have taken, checking all the side streets and back alleys. They were almost back at Chloe and Aubrey's apartment and Chloe was starting to give up all hope of finding her when Aubrey spoke in a choked voice.

"Shit, Jesse stop the car. Look, is that her? There, by that old bike. Shit."

Jesse pulled up as quickly as he could down the narrow alley and the three of them jumped out of the car. Chloe ran over and knelt by Beca's small, curled up body, and as Aubrey went to follow, Jesse put an arm around her to stop her.

"Just wait a sec Bree, we don't know what's happened." he said, pulling the blonde into his arms as they watched from a short distance.

* * *

Beca whimpered as she heard the car come to a halt, and tried to shield herself from the second brutal attack that she knew was coming, but she only caused herself more pain. The footsteps were coming closer and closer until finally they stopped just by her face. Beca held her breath, wincing as she braced herself, and it wasn't until she heard Jesse's familiar voice that she dared open her eyes. Seeing Chloe, she let out a sob of relief as the redhead knelt beside her, cradling her.

"Becs, it's me okay? It's Chloe. You're safe okay? I've got you. You're okay."

Beca just gasped in air as the tears streamed down her face. Her skirt was bunched up around her waist and her jacket and bag were on the ground, and it didn't take more than a couple of seconds for Chloe to work out what had happened to the now hysterical brunette. Chloe sat with her back against the wall, and just held Beca in her arms, the brunettes tears soaking the neck of her T-shirt. Chloe stroked Beca's hair and spoke softly in her ear, whispering sweet nothings in an attempt to calm her best friend.

Aubrey broke free from Jesse's well-meaning grip and carefully approached the girls.

"Beca, we need to get you to a hospital sweetie. You've been cut up pretty bad, okay?" the blonde said softly, not wanting to startle them. Chloe pulled Beca's skirt down as gracefully as possible, Beca flinching as the redhead's fingers grazed her thighs, and the redhead gave her an apologetic half smile, tearing up at the thought of what someone had done to her best friend. Chloe straightened up and helped Jesse scoop up Beca from the ground.

"Come on Bec, let's get you in the car" he said, and the brunette clung to him, still not having broken her picked up Beca's belongings and got in the driver's seat while Chloe and Jesse positioned Beca in the middle of the back row, each sitting on one side of her. Beca leant against Chloe the entire journey, shivering as the redhead stroked her hair, aware of the bruises that were now forming on her face and arms.

They arrived at the hospital in just a few minutes, and Jesse carried Beca in to the reception bridal style, Chloe by their side, as Aubrey told the receptionist what had happened. A nurse came over to the foursome and ushered them into a cubicle, away from the stares they were receiving in the waiting room.

"Now, it seems here that young Beca has had a bit of a rough time so I'd appreciate it if you could give us some space, so that we can check her out." the nurse said, in a friendly but firm tone.

Jesse took Aubrey's hand and led her out, the couple both giving Beca small smiles.

"We'll be right outside in the waiting room Beca, okay?" Jesse said, as he tried to take Chloe's hand to take her with them.

"Chloe, please don't leave me" Beca whispered, breaking her silence, as the redhead pulled her hand from Jesse's. Chloe stood by Beca's side, joining her and with Beca's.

"I'm not going anywhere Beca, I promise. I'm right here"


	2. Chapter 2

"Miss Mitchell, may I come in?"

A tall man popped his head around the doorway of the room Beca had been allocated as she thought to herself, "What's the point in asking if you're just going to come in anyway?" and then nodded, clearing her throat.

"Hi Beca, I'm Dr Stephens." The handsome man introduced himself with a warm smile, and his eyes flickered towards Chloe and then back to Beca."It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise" Beca replied half-heartedly, hoping the doctor wouldn't take offence.

"Well, let's get down to business shall we? If I could draw your attention to the x rays..." He guestured to the light box on the wall as he attached the film to it. "We can see here there has been damage to three of the ribs on your right side, two of which are fractured." He then swapped the pictures over. "You also have a fracture on your right wrist, and your scans show that you sustained a moderate concussion from the nasty knock you received to your head."

Whilst the doctor was saying this Chloe had moved to sit on the side of Beca's bed, and the doctor moved to the now unoccupied chair and sat on the arm of it.

"Unfortunately, there's very little we can do for broken ribs and assuming you don't put too much stress on them for the time being they should heal fully in three to six weeks. As for your wrist, it's a fairly clean break and I'll have it put in plaster and that will come off after eight weeks."

Beca relaxed the tight grip she wasn't even aware she had on Chloe's hand, once she knew she didn't need surgery, but her troubled expression resurfaced and she could tell from the sympathetic and somewhat pained expression on the doctor's face what was coming next.

"Now Beca, although your injuries are somewhat minor, there is still the issue of your assault." He contiued, stumbling over the last word. "There are some decisions you need to make, and if you'd feel more comfortable with a female doctor I completely understand." He finished with a questioning look.

"No," Beca said with an awkward smile. "I'm fine with you, thank you though doctor."

"Please, call me Steve. I'll be right back." He said with a broad grin as he reached for the door handle.

"Wait!" Chloe said, and Beca and Steve turned to her with concerned expressions. "Your name is Steve Stephens?" Chloe blurted out, as she turned a deep shade of red, internally cursing herself for being so rude, as Beca let out a muffled laugh, and tried to cover it up with a cough, hurting her ribs in the process.

Luckily for both girls, Steve turned back to face them and let out a laugh. "No," he said. "My parents would have to have been pretty sadistic to name me that. I just hate my first name. I made people call me Stephen after my surname and it got shortened somewhere along the way."

"Wait, so what's your first name?" Beca asked.

"Ah, that would be telling..." Steve said, as he opened the door again. "I'll be right back." The door shut behind him and Chloe turned to face Beca.

"Do you want me to go and wait with Bree and Jesse while he, uh..?" she asked, trailing off awkwardly at the end.

"Um, would you mind, you know, if it's okay, could you stay here?" Beca replied hesitantly.

"Of course Becs, if that's where you want me." the redhead replied with a warm smile.

"Thank you."

The pair sat in a comfortable silence waiting for Steve's return. "He's pretty hot, isn't he?" Chloe said with a grin.

"What? The doctor? Yeah, I guess. He's really nice. Funny."

"Are you kidding? He's super hot." Chloe said, as Beca began to bite her lip, stifling back a laugh. "What?! Why are you laughing, he's hot..." Chloe said, as she turned around to follow Beca's gaze, and was met by a smirking Steve in the doorway.

"Hello ladies, who are we talking about?" He said, knowing full well what was going on.

"My friend!" Chloe spluttered, as Beca and Steve burst out laughing. "My friend." She repeated, more seriously this time.

"Well, I'll take your word for it that he is in fact, 'super hot'" the doctor said, as he uncapped the pen in his breast pocket, sitting in the chair. Beca smiled internally, glad that Steve was making jokes. It made her a lot more comfortable regarding the whole situation, whether or not he was doing it intentionally.

"Right, Beca, there's one thing you need to know. Due to the nature of your attack, you have every right to refuse to press charges, and you can go home once your arm and ribs have been taken care of. However, if you choose not to have a swab taken now for DNA matching, you can't come back at a later point. If we take a swab now, you don't have to take it to the police immediately. It can be stored and you can take it to them when you feel you're ready to. While you don't have to, I would strongly advise you to have a swab taken. What would you like to do?"

"I want it done." Beca said, with a slight nod.

"Now I'm not supposed to say this, but you've made the right choice." he replied with a comforting smile. "If you could lean back and place your legs in the stirrups. This may feel a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn't hurt, so let me know if it does, okay?"

Beca assumed the position and gripped Chloe's hand as the doctor took the sample. Chloe ran her thumb soothingly over Beca's, and stroked her hair.

"There we go. All done. I'll take these down to the lab and they can be sent to the police for investigation when you make your statement. I just need to fit your plaster cast and stitches on your face, and I'm afraid that's the last you'll see of this super hot face." He said with a grin, as he set up the plaster and wet it."Now just hold your arm slightly bent at the elbow, as still as you can." He instructed, reaching out to make a couple of adjustments to her positioning, apologising as she winced. Once the plaster was finished, he set to work on stitching up the large cut on her eyebrow. As he worked, he spoke in a soft voice.

"Beca, while I know it's probably not my place to say this, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you. No one should ever have to ensure that ordeal, especially not someone as lovely as you."

Beca didn't reply, overcome with emotion, and a couple of tears slid silently down her face, and the doctor feared he had overstepped the boundaries with what he had said.

"Sorry Beca, that was extremely unprofessional of me. Now that we're all finished here I'd probably better go-"

"No! Please, it's fine. Honestly, thank you. It means a lot." Beca said with a weak smile, hoping her simple words conveyed the deep gratitude she felt for the kind man.

"It's the truth Beca. Now, here's a card with the details of the therapy unit here, if you feel that would be beneficial." He handed her the card, and as a second thought, took out a scrap of paper, scribbling on it. "And here's my number, if you need anything. Just to talk or whatever."

"Now, is there someone at home who can take care of you for a couple of days? I'm reluctant to let you go home alone with that concussion, but I'm sure staying here overnight is the last thing you want now."

"Yeah I have a roommate, but I'm not really sure she would be very helpful..." Beca really couldn't see Kimmy Jin caring for or her.

Chloe butted in. "Beca, you're staying with us. Aubrey's at Jesse's most of the time anyway so you can probably even stay in her room."

"No Chloe, that's too much. You've done enough for me already." Beca replied.

"I'm here because I want to look after you, Beca, not because I have to. You're staying with me." Beca's heart swelled at the confession and she smiled at Chloe, her eyes threatening tears again.

The doctor walked Chloe and Beca back to the waiting room, where Aubrey and Jesse were asleep on eachothers shoulders.

"Bree," Chloe shook her knee softly. "Jesse, we're going home." The couple woke up from their light sleep and picked up their few possessions they had brought.

Beca turned to the doctor and spoke sincerely. "Thank you." "Just doing my job Miss Mitchell." He said with a smile and a rub of her arm.

"Chloe, if you follow me, I'll give you Beca's painkiller prescription and a couple of leaflets."

"Sure. Guys, take Beca out to the car, I'll be out in a sec." The redhead said to her friends. Jesse thanked the doctor and took Beca's arm, Aubrey on the other side and they walked to the car. They sat in silence, Aubrey already asleep in the front seat. Beca thought about the upcoming time she would spend with Chloe. Beca had always had a soft spot for the redhead, but had never fully acknowledged it until tonight. The way Chloe had cared for her made Beca feel like Chloe migfft possibly feel the same way. But anyways, Beca was certainly not looking for anything for the time being, after tonights events.

Chloe hopped in the car, clutching Beca's prescription bag, and gave Beca one of her trademark megawatt grins as Jesse started the engine and pulled away. Beca felt butterflies in her stomach, and chastised herself for being so affected by just that smile.

"Beca, you'll never guess what just happened." The redhead said breathily. Beca gave a full smile for the first time that night, at the thought of Chloe being so happy.

"What?" Came her reply.

"Steve asked me on a date!"

**A/N: Sorry, if this chapter was incredibly boring! I wanted to sort of set it up for the next chapter. I also know that it would be unlikely that the same doctor would do all of the procedures but I liked the idea of just him looking after Beca. Also regarding him asking Chloe out, just keep in mind that this fic will eventually be Bechloe. Please keep reading, as the next chapter will be a lot better :).**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this took me so long to write! I've had so much going on that I won't bore you with, but I'll try and update at least once a fortnight. Just for reference, I picture Chloe and Aubrey's apartment to look like Rachel and Monica's in Friends, I know it would be majorly expensive but it will be explained. Also, thanks to all of the reviewers! You were once of the main reasons I kept writing, so thank you! Anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

"Steve asked me on a date!" Chloe repeated, as Beca didn't seem to have heard her.

Beca's head was spinning. She was never really sure what to call her relationship with the redhead. They had been very close since Beca joined the Bellas, and Beca considered Chloe to be her best friend. But it was those evenings they spent together, wrapped in each other's arms, that made Beca question it. Beca was a different person around Chloe. She let down her guards and allowed herself to look like less of a badass. The tickle fights. The baking together. The movie nights. Not having had a friend as close as Chloe before, Beca didn't know whether the things they did were normal in a friendship. Did friends normally cuddle on the sofa when watching movies? Did friends share each other's beds when the other couldn't be bothered to go home? Did friends wake each other up with breakfast in bed? Beca really had no idea.

Chloe took this to her advantage, knowing that Beca wouldn't realise the things they did weren't expected from a normal friendship. This gave Chloe the opportunity to just be with Beca in the way she wanted to be, because the redhead knew it could never actually happen.

Of course, in the small brunettes mind, there was no possibility that Chloe liked Beca back. Chloe was perfect. A happy ray of sunshine coupled with a gorgeous face. And Beca was just normal. And for another thing, Chloe was straight.

"Beca? Are you okay?" Beca was pulled out of her thoughts, and looked up to see beautiful blue eyes laced with concern.

"What? No, I'm fine. Really." The last thing Beca wanted to do was talk about Chloe with someone else. To put it bluntly, she'd just been raped. Why did Chloe think it was the time to have a girly conversation about the guy that just asked her out? That was the last thing Beca wanted to do. "Sorry, I'm just tired. Can we just talk later?" Beca said, although she knew full well that she would never, ever want to talk to Chloe about Steve.

"Of course. Sorry." Chloe replied with a simple smile. She pulled the brunette towards her in the car, and Beca laid her head on Chloe's shoulder, and Chloe rested her hand on Beca's hip, stroking her thumb up and down. It was in moments like these that if Beca shut her eyes, she could pretend that they were a couple. She could pretend that she was Chloe's, and Chloe was hers, and that they belonged to each ither. Beca sat in her now somewhat blissful state and fell asleep on Chloe's shoulder, barely even stirring as Chloe nudged her twenty minutes later.

"Are you awake Becs?" she said softly. "Beca, honey. Wake up"

Jesse had already unclipped his belt and was by the back passenger door, and decided it would just be easier to carry the petite girl upstairs rather than wake her.

Chloe and Aubrey followed him up the three flights of stairs, trying to walk quietly, although they both knew it normally took a herd of wildebeest to make Beca stir.

While Beca had slept in the car, Jesse had invited Aubrey to stay at his place so that Beca could have her bed rather than sleep on the couch.

Aubrey unlocked the apartment door and Jesse walked in, dropping Beca carefully on the sofa, as Chloe went to find some pillows and blankets for her, and Aubrey went to collect the few belongings she didn't already keep at Jesse's dorm.

The trio then stood facing Beca, watching her sleep.

"Right Bree, shall we leave Chloe in peace?" Jesse finally broke the silence, trying to keep the mood light as he spoke in hushed tones.

"I'll see you later guys," Chloe said, dumping the spare bedding she'd collected on an armchair, and hugged the couple. "Thanks for all your help."

"Hey, it's what we're here for. If you need anything just give me a call okay?" the blonde replied.

Chloe smiled by way of thanks, and saw the couple out, and then returned to Beca, and knelt beside the sofa, shaking Beca's arm gently.

"Hey Becs, I've got some spare clothes if you want to get changed into something more cosy, and a duvet and pillow?"

Beca didn't reply, still sound asleep. Chloe decided to just let the girl rest, as she was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. She simply draped one of the blankets softly over Beca's body, and left the others in easy reach. As she turned to go to her room, she heard a soft whimper, causing her to turn on the spot.

She was met with the sight of Beca stretching out, eyes now open.

"Chloe?" The brunette asked, in such a soft voice Chloe wouldn't have noticed had she not been looking at her.

"Yeah Becs?" The redhead replied sweetly.

"Could you stay for a bit? Just until I fall asleep?"

"Of course Beca."

Chloe helped Beca out of her skirt and coat and into an old t-shirt and a pair of Chloe's pyjama bottoms, which absolutely drowned Beca. Once changed, Beca laid back down, despite Chloe offering her Aubrey's much comfier double bed, and Chloe sat on the floor next to the sofa, her arm reaching up to rest on Beca's.

"Do you want to sleep? Or talk?" Chloe asked, and Beca wanted to cry at how caring the redhead was being.

"Can we just watch tv?" Beca asked.

"Sure." Chloe reached for the remote and passed it to Beca, who flicked randomly through until she found a channel playing old Friends re-runs.

They watched two episodes, and Chloe turned back to see if Beca was asleep, only to find the brunette shaking, tears streaming down her face.

"Beca honey. What can I do?" Chloe said, feeling so hopeless at her inability to help.

"Would you hold me?" Beca asked, her voice trailing off as though she were embarrassed to have asked.

"Okay. Scooch up shorty" Chloe replied, and slotted in behind Beca, her arm wrapped protectively around Beca's midsection, and the other hand stroking her hair. The couple watched for a few minutes, Chloe providing a running commentary on basically every part of the show.

"Hey Chloe." Beca said.

"Mmm?" Chloe replied sleepily.

"Shh now."

Chloe giggled. "Sorry, I'll be quiet."

"Thanks"

A few minutes passed, and Chloe felt Beca's breaths get deeper as she fell asleep.

Chloe sighed, wishing there was something she could do to take away Beca's pain, but for now, all she could do was hold her tight.

.

Chloe was the first to wake up to a blaring television and a stiff back. She reached for the remote and turned off the tv, leaving the room silent, other than the sounds of Beca's gentle breaths. She didn't want to move, in fear of waking the brunette and breaking her out of what appeared to be a finally tranquil state.

Chloe sat for a few minutes, just thinking. Would Beca want to talk about what had happened to her? Chloe didn't want to push her in to anything, but she wanted the brunette to know she was there for her.

She felt Beca stir on top of her, and heard her wince as she pushed herself up on her bad arm, having momentarily forgotten her injuries.

"Morning Beca. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got trampled by a herd of wild buffalo." Beca replied, holding her side.

"It's not anything I did is it? We did kind of sleep in an awkward position, sorry." the redhead replied, as she untangled her legs from around Beca, got up from the sofa, and walked into the kitchen. The kitchen-cum-dining-cum-living space was all one large open plan room, meaning it was a short walk.

"No, of course not. The painkillers must have worn off overnight."

"That reminds me," Chloe said, rooting through her hand bag. "Here's your medication. Steve said the instructions are all on the side of the packaging."

Beca felt her heart sink at the mention of his name.

"Thanks. So, Steve?" She said, trying to hind the gloom from her voice.

"Yeah, sorry I brought that up last night. I was just trying to cheer you up, make you laugh. I thought that's what you would have wanted. I'm so sorry, it was really selfish of me to talk about myself after what happened to you. I was just trying to give you something to laugh about." Chloe rushed out, avoiding Beca's gaze. She felt pretty shitty to be honest, for upsetting her. How could she have been so stupid?

Beca didn't really see what there had been to laugh about. Her very straight crush had been asked out by a very attractive man. Hilarious.

"No Chloe it's fine, really. Don't apologize. I'm happy for you." Beca forced a smile, sitting down at the dining table, as Chloe opened the fridge.

"Wait what?!" Chloe stopped what she was doing and turned to face Beca, with a puzzled look.

"About Steve. I'm happy for you. He is, as you put it, super hot." Beca said, this time with a slightly more genuine smile.

"I said no, Beca." Chloe said slowly, turning back to the fridge, taking out a pack of bacon, and moving towards the cooker.

"What? Why?"

Chloe turned around to face Beca again, with an even more confused look upon her beautiful features. She studied Beca's face for a few moments, before slowly turning back and unwrapping the bacon.

"Beca. I'm gay." She said simply.

Beca actually gasped, and tried to hide it with a cough.

Chloe pushed the bacon away and turned off the cooker, sitting down the face the brunette.

"Beca, I thought you of all people would be accepting of this?" Chloe said, looking hurt.

"What?! Chloe, of course I am! I'm gay for fucks sake, why wouldn't I accept you? I couldn't care less if you were gay, straight, bi, trans, whatever floats your boat." (Although Beca did care. A lot.)

"Well I thought you were. So why do you look like you just found out I committed genocide?" Chloe's features softened, but she still held a trace of doubt.

Beca chuckled softly to herself. "It was just a surprise to be honest. I'm glad you felt happy to tell me though." she said.

"Beca," Chloe said, placing her hand on top of Beca's. "The only reason I never mentioned it is because I thought it was blindingly obvious." Chloe chose her words carefully, wanting Beca to at least get a slight hint.

"Why would it be obvious Chlo?" Beca asked, obviously confused.

Chloe sighed, removing her hand from Beca's. Beca really had no idea how she felt about her. Maybe it was for the best, as Beca obviously didn't feel the same way. "No reason." She finally responded. "I just thought you knew, that's all. She put on her trademark bright smile, and returned to preparing breakfast. "Hungry?"

"Starving." Beca replied. "What can I do to help?"

Chloe wanted to tell Beca to just sit, and let her do everything, but she had a feeling Beca wanted to occupy herself with something.

"Set the table? And make a jug of juice, or whatever you fancy. You know where everything is." Chloe responded.

The two moved about the kitchen, singing along to Chloe's iPod.

They sat down to eat at 10, both with plates of bacon, sausage, eggs and beans.

"This looks great, Chloe, thanks. And thank you. For... you know, everything."

"Beca, do you want to talk about what happened?" Chloe asked, a small smile on her lips, as she looked Beca in the eye.

"After breakfast?" Beca said, although it was more of a question.

"After breakfast." came the redheads reply.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hi! Sorry this took so long, and it's kind of a short chapter. I just wanted to put something out there, as I'm afraid I probably won't be able to update again until the end of June, as I have all my exams now. Please stick with me though :) Also, MASSIVE trigger warning for rape in this chapter. **

* * *

Beca pushed the dregs of her breakfast around the plate, not really feeling full, yet not having any desire to eat anything more. She had barely been able to taste what was once one of her favourite meals, it all just tasted like salty cardboard.

"Don't eat it if you don't want it, I kind of piled our plates pretty high." Chloe said, laughing softly to herself.

"It was lovely, thanks. Do you want my left overs?" Beca replied.

Chloe chewed her thumb nail, studying Beca's plate for a good ten seconds.

"Yeah, go on then."

Beca laughed at Chloe's seriousness regarding the food, and swapped their plates over, taking Chloe's empty one to the sink.

"Thanks babe." Chloe mumbled, through a mouth full of food.

As pathetic as it felt, Beca caught herself smiling at Chloe's affectionate term, and put herself in check. Beca had heard Chloe call Aubrey "babe" pretty much every time they were in the same room. It was just a friendly nickname.

Chloe washed the plates and frying pans, humming to herself, as Beca dried and put away, falling in to a natural silence.

They dried their hands and without really deciding to, they both went to sit in the lounge, in the places on the couch that they had over the weeks claimed as "their spots".

"So. I'm not really good at this, I don't know what to say. What do you want to know?" Beca spoke first.

Chloe had no intention of forcing the brunette in to talking about her horrible ordeal, but she knew Beca wanted to talk, and she figured a gentle nudge in the right direction was the way forward.

"Why don't you just tell me what happened. Start from the beginning." Chloe said gently.

"Okay," Bea swallowed a couple of times, and Chloe reached between them and grabbed her hand, holding it in her own. "Well I was at work, obviously, and I signed off on the station and put on the last track. I said goodnight to Luke and left. And I was walking down the main road, down Adams Street, and I heard some guys talking, and it wasn't dark, but I knew it would be soon, and so I crossed the road to avoid them. Like they were just talking about something normal but I didn't want to start anything, you know?" Beca looked up from where she had been pulling at the hem of her shirt with her free hand to make sure Chloe knew what she meant, and was met with bright blue eyes already looking straight into hers.

"Yeah, I get you. I do that to avoid guys all the time" Chloe's voice was barely above a whisper, and laced with concern. She obviously knew what had happened, but she had assumed it was just one guy. This was somehow so much worse.

"Well I crossed the street, and I assumed they hadn't seen me or hadn't cared until I was.. I dunno, I'm really bad with distances. Like maybe 10 steps down the road at most?"

Chloe nodded, and feeling Beca grip her hand tighter, she knew what was coming next, and shuffled closer to the girl, drawing up her feet and tucking them under her legs.

"And I heard one of the guys shout "hey what's that bitch doing? What are you doing?" And i just kept walking, like hoping it wasn't aimed at me." Becas voice cracked on the word bitch, and tears pooled in her eyes, but didn't fall. "And another one was like "I don't think she heard us." And they started coming towards me so I started running and they shouted at me, saying "don't be scared, we just wanna talk." And they cornered me into an alleyway."

"Beca I'm so sorry, I never should have made you tell me this. I'm so so sorry,"

Beca sniffed, and replied "No Chloe, you didn't make me do this. I want to tell you. I have to tell you, I have to get it out in the open."

Chloe pulled the younger girl into her arms, and the brunette rested her head on Chloe's chest, speaking unevenly through her tears and heavy breaths.

"And then I told them that I only had fifty dollars on me, but I had my Mac and phone and they could have those, and one of them was like "you really think we want your shitty money?" I think there were five or six guys, and it was then that so-some of them ran away with my wallet, and there were just three of them left, and they shouted at the guys that ran away, calling them pus- calling them pussies. And then they pushed me further down the alley way, and they slapped me and pushed me against the wall, and then one of them rip-ripped my shirt open, and, and he-he pulled his jeans down and he..."

Beca's breath came in large gasps, the way it does when you choke on water, and she was finally sobbing noisily, her whole chest moving up and down against Chloe, and the redhead wrapped her arms tighter, her head pushed into Beca's dark hair, cradling her.

"Oh God, Chloe it was so horrible."

"I'm so sorry Beca. What happened to you is absolutely awful, but you're gonna be okay, you know? You'll get through this."

"It was so scary Chloe. I thought it was never going to end. It hurt so much." Beca mumbled into Chloe's chest.

"It's okay. I've got you. Just let it all out."

They sat that way for what felt like forever. Chloe softly rubbed her hands up and down Beca's back, and whispered sweet, comforting words into her head, until finally Beca fell asleep. It was only then that Chloe allowed herself to cry the tears she had been holding back, not wanting to further upset the younger girl, but now, her whole body shook as she cried silent tears, rolling down her cheeks into Beca's hair.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I finally finished my exams, and I will be trying to update once a week if possible! If you want a general idea, I pictured the detective in this scene to look like Kristen Bell in House of Lies. Had a problem with formatting when I first uploaded this so hopefully it's all fixed now, thanks to darkharmonian for pointing it out! :)**

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Four days had passed, and Beca was still staying at Chloe and Aubrey's apartment. At the time of the incident, they had already been a week into their summer holidays, and so the girls had no obligations and no stresses. They were free to relax. Beca had semi-permanently moved into Aubrey's room, although she hadn't yet spent a night away from Chloe. The nights were the worst. Beca had always suffered from occasional night terrors, but now she would wake up kicking and screaming, and it seemed all Chloe could do was hold her until it passed, and unbeknownst to Chloe, she was the only one who had managed to calm Beca from one of her nightmares. Not even Beca's parents had been able to.

It was 9am when Beca awoke to an empty bed and music coming from the docking station in the kitchen. She kicked off the covers and wandered into the kitchen, as she tied her hair into a loose bun. She found Chloe in the kitchen, turning the sausages in the grill.

"Morning" Beca said, her voice still dry from having just woken up.

"Oh Beca, I was just about to come and wake you up. Can you give me a hand with breakfast? The guys from the police station are coming at 10:30, remember?" Chloe replied.

"Oh shit, yeah." Beca set about buttering some bread, for their sausage sandwiches.

"Is that okay?" Chloe asked, her voice hinting at concern, as she cut the sausages lengthways down the middle and placed them perfectly in the bread, her tongue poking out of the side of her mouth with the effort.

Beca chuckled at the precision Chloe was completing the simple task with as she set the mayonnaise and ketchup down on the table. "No, it's fine. I'd just forgotten. I'd also forgotten that you only have light mayonnaise, what the fuck?! We need to go shopping." She said with a smirk, as Chloe passed her her plate, and sat opposite her.

"Not my fault you insist on having mayonnaise with basically every meal. I'll add it to the shopping list." She paused, and licked a glob of ketchup from her top lip. "I was talking to Bree last night. She wants to move in with Jesse."

"Oh Chlo, I'm sorry. I mean that's great for them, really it is. But you've been best friends for what, like, since middle school? That's gotta suck."

Chloe smiled. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss the crap out of her. I still have three years of grad school, and I don't wanna lose this apartment, but it's just too expensive for one person."

"Find another room-mate?" Beca suggested.

"Who? I only feel close enough with you and Aubrey and maybe Stacie to share rooms with, but Stacie would bring home more strange men than I generally feel comfortable with, and you already have an apartment."

"Yeah. I do. However, my contract is up for renewal. I only signed for two years. I was gonna stay for the next two years until I finished university, but if you're offering…" Beca trailed off, wondering whether she's gotten the wrong end of the stick. Did Chloe really want to live with her? Shit. Now things were going to be so awkward. Nice one Beca.

She was finally drawn from her inner monologue by Chloe - "Beca this is gonna be so much fun! We'll have to go furniture shopping actually, most of this stuff is Bree's. I actually have some savings-"

"What? Did you say yes?" Beca asked, unable to keep the shock from her voice.

"Of course I did! I've been meaning to ask you for ages but I was never sure if you would have wanted to. Oh my God this is so exciting!"

"Chloe, I don't mean to interrupt you but the detective will be here in like… half an hour."

"Shit! Luckily I had a bath last night! I'm gonna go and get dressed."

Beca knew Chloe had had a bath last night. She knew because she could hear Titanium coming from the crappy duck shaped shower radio. She also heard splashes of water on the floor. And she had also heard Chloe. She had definitely heard Chloe.

"Why are you smirking? Do I smell? Do I need to shower quickly?" Chloe drew Beca from her thoughts, looking worried.

"No! I was laughing at something else. You smell nice! Really nice!" Beca rambled as Chloe gave her a smile that was more laughing at her than with her.

"Jesus Christ Beca, nice one. You smell nice. That will definitely tell her you like her" Beca muttered as she walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, only for Chloe to pop her head round the door as she took off her pyjama top.

"What was that Beca?" She said, obviously unfazed by the brunette's semi-nakedness.

"Nothing! I was talking to myself! Nothing!" Beca hastily covered herself as Chloe finally left her in peace, and went to turn on the shower radio.

Chloe, sat in her room choosing her outfit, heard Titanium coming from the bathroom, and cursed herself for not having changed the track after she left the bathroom the night before. She also felt awkward about having barged in on Beca half-naked. Normally it didn't worry either of them. They didn't exactly make a habit of it, but it was nothing they hadn't seen before. But was it different now after what had happened to Beca? Chloe made a mental note to try and avoid doing it.

After her shower, Beca quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt in Aubrey's room- well technically her room now, she guessed, and met Chloe back in the living room.

"Nice work Mitchell, showered and dressed with 3 minutes to spare." Chloe laughed, as Beca sat down next to her, and gave a polite chuckle.

"Hey, Beca. You okay?" Chloe asked, sensing the change in her friend's personality.

"I dunno. I'm just still such a mess. I can have a great morning like we just did, laughing and talking but then I start to think about it again, and it all goes downhill." Beca mumbled, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

Chloe used her pointer finger to steer Beca's chin towards her so that they were facing each other. "You are not a mess. You are a strong, brave woman who is handling all of this so so well. And it's okay to be upset about it. It's completely normal. Don't forget that."

Beca's heart fluttered at the words as navy eyes met cerulean ones. Chloe gripped her hand, holding it tight, and Beca swore she could see Chloe lean ever so slightly towards her.

They broke apart as the doorbell rang, and Chloe gave Beca's hand one last squeeze before going to answer the door.

"Good morning, I'm Detective Scott, here to speak to Beca Mitchell?" said the petite, blonde woman at the door.

"Hi! I'm Beca's room mate Chloe, please come in."

Beca smiled at Chloe's words and stepped up to the police woman. "Hi, I'm Beca. Please, take a seat" she said, gesturing to the table, as she and Chloe say opposite her, having agreed already that Chloe would stay with Beca for the interview.

"Now, Ms Mitchell, it is your choice whether to not you would like to press charges against your attacker, but I would highly recommend that you at least consider it. Either way, I would like to take a full statement from you, regarding the events of that night."

"Of course. And I would like to press charges."

"Well, between you and me Ms Mitchell, you've made the right choice."

"Please, call me Beca."

The detective spoke as she brought out a small notebook and a voice recorder. "Not to be rude to your friend, but would you like her to be here during the interview?"

"Yes, please. If that's okay?" Beca said as Chloe took her hand under the table.

"That's no problem at all Beca. A lot of people find it easier when they're with a close friend or relative, or partner. Now before we officially begin, just remember that if you want to stop at any point, just let me know. You've been through a lot and I can't imagine how hard this is for you."

The detective pressed the record button and read from the sheet in the notebook in front of her.

"This is Detective Sophia Scott of the Atlanta Police Department interviewing Ms Rebecca Mitchell regarding the events occurring on Thurday the 10th of July 2014. Ms Chloe Beale, Ms Mitchell's room mate and friend is also present at the time of recording. Beca, in your own words, could you please describe the events which occurred on that night?"

Beca took a breath, and began to talk.

"I was at work, at the radio station,taking the early evening shift like I always do on Thursday nights. And after my shift, I was walking to my friend Chloe's house, which is about a 20 minute walk."

"What time would you estimate it to be at this point?" Sophia asked.

"Well my shift ends at 7 and I always leave by about 10 past, so it was about 20 past 7 when I was going down Adam's Street. S Iwas walking down Adam's Street and it was just starting to get dark. It was still day light but dusk was just beginning, and that's when I saw the group of guys a little way down the road, maybe 20 meters? I crossed the road to avoid them-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but how many men would you say there were?"

"I think five. It may have been six though."

Sophia nodded at Beca to continue.

"So I crossed the road so as not to get in their way, and that's when one of them called after me."

"Would you describe their behaviour at this point, before they called after you, as aggressive or violent?"

"No, they hadn't done anything, I just didn't want to walk through their group. But then one of them called after me, saying to his friend, "Hey, what's that bitch doing?" And so I kind of walked faster and ignored them, but they followed me, and then another one shouted "I don't think she heard us" and another said "don't be scared, we just want to talk to you."

Chloe, having heard this before, knew what was coming next, and squeezed Beca's thigh, running her thumb softly over her jeans.

"And then they were chasing after me and they cornered me in to an alleyway, and then I said that I didn't have any money, only fifty dollars, and then-" Beca's voice cracked. "And then I said that I had m-my phone and laptop which- which they could... Which they could have." Beca broke down into tears on Chloe's shoulder, and the redhead stroked her hair as the detective paused the dictaphone.

"Let's take a quick break Beca okay? You're doing really great so far. We can come back to it in a bit. Chloe, would it be okay if I made us some drinks?" The detective said softly.

"Yes, of course, I'll do it!" Chloe made a start to get up, but was silently stopped by Sophia.

"No it's okay. You can give Beca the help she needs to recollect her thoughts." She said with a kind smile.

Chloe sat back down next to a now silent Beca. "Becs, are you okay? You're doing really well."

"I'm fine, I kind of just avoided thinking about it since I told you what happened and so it's all kind of coming back in a rush."

Chloe held Beca against her side, wrapping her arms around the brunette until her tears stopped.

Sophia sat back down with the three cups of tea, and spoke again.

"Are you ready to keep going? Take all the time you need, by all means."

"No, I'm ready. Just so I know - do you need me to actually describe, you know, what happened? Or..." Beca trailed off.

"You don't have to describe it if it's too painful. And you could also write a written statement too if you would find that easier. It's just that often writing it can be worse, and the more you tell me, the easier it will be to find the people that did this to you."

Beca nodded. "Okay. I can talk about it. Can we start?"

Sophia pressed the record button again, and motioned to Beca to continue.

"I told the guys that I didn't have much money on me. Just my phone and laptop. But they said that they didn't care, but then two or three of them ran away with my wallet."

"It's really important that you try and remember how many there were Beca."

"I'm almost positive there were five guys, but it may have been six. I can definitely tell you that after the guys that took my wallet left, there were only three. But the three left over said that they didn't want any of my money, and called the guys that took my wallet pussies. And that's when they pushed me into the alleyway, and they hit me and pushed me against the wall. One of the slapped my face and pulled open my shirt, and then-" Beca paused, taking a breath. Chloe gave her a small upwards nod, silently asking if she was okay, and Beca responded with a weak shaky smile as Chloe took her hand.

"And then he pulled his jeans down. And he pulled up my skirt, and pulled my underwear down. And then he... forced himself on me."

"What were the other two doing at this point?"

"One was touching my breasts, and the other was.. he was touching himself."

Chloe audibly gasped, horrified at the ordeal Beca had had to face. How fucking dare they do this to Beca?

"And did any of the other men penetrate you?"

"No."

"And did the first man... Did the first man ejaculate inside of you?" Sophia had trouble with phrasing the question, feeling vulgar and disrespectful.

"No."

"Okay. And what happened afterwards?"

They pushed me to the floor, and they kicked my ribs and my arm, which I had used to try and cover my body. And I called for help, but then I started to feel sick and dizzy so I shut my eyes. And I woke up again once my friends had found me." Beca motioned to her plaster casted arm.

"Could you describe the men please?"

"The two or three that ran away were probably about 20. They were both white I think, and they were both around 6 foot 2. Of the other three, the one that actually- that actually raped me was tallest, like 6 foot 4 and the others were about 6ft I guess. All white and I think they had dark hair but they were wearing hoodies so I'm not sure."

"And, last question, how long would you say the entire ordeal lasted, from you crossing the road to avoid the men, to them leaving?"

"I would say 10, 15 minutes."

"Thank you Ms Mitchell. End of interview." After having stopped the recording, Sophia continued. "Thank you Beca, you did really well. I'd just like to say that I'm really sorry for what you had to go through, and I will do my absolute best to catch those responsible. Here's my card - if you have any more information that you think might be important, give me a call okay?"

Chloe showed the detective out, and returned to find Beca curled up on the sofa.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Chloe asked, sitting next to Beca and pulling her into her lap.

"Not really. I just need to take my mind off of it. If that's even possible."

"Tell you what, why don't we see if Aubrey and Jesse are around? We can start to move things around and you can finally be here properly."

Five hours passed, and the four friend sat around the coffee table, eating takeout pizza surrounded by boxes of Aubrey's stuff to take to Jesse's, and Beca's stuff to unpack.

"It's all kind of sinking in now. I'm gonna miss you Chloe. I've lived with you for five years." Aubrey said through a mouthful of pizza.

Chloe wiped her mouth with a tissue, and placed her empty pizza box on the table.

"I know Bree. It's gonna be so weird. But we'll till see each other all the time. And if you end up hating Jesse you can always just come back." Chloe joked, throwing a wink at Jesse.

Beca collected up the boxes and napkins, taking them into the kitchen, and Jesse followed with the empty drinks bottles.

"Hey Beca. I just wanted to let you know that since I've been with Aubrey we haven't seen each other all that much. But we're still best friends you know? And I'm here for you, if you wanna talk. Or anything really." Jesse said, as he leant back on the kitchen counter.

"Thank you Jesse. You know, I love you man." Beca replied, sitting on the counter opposite him, and before she knew it, Jesse had wrapped her up in a hug. "Love you too Bec."

Aubrey watched them with fond eyes. Chloe leant over and nudged her softly.

"I meant it Bree. I'm not saying you'll ever end to, because Jesse is fantastic. But if you do, you really can come back here. Even if it's just for a night or two."

"Thanks babe. We'll still see each other all the time, right?"

"If you have time for me! Miss big-shot lawyer."

"Of course I will. We should probably get these boxes down the the car."

Another hour later, and Chloe and Beca were standing on the front steps of the building, saying their goodbyes. Chloe and Aubrey both had tears in their eyes that they were determined not to let fall.

"Are you sure you don't want any help unpacking at your end?" Beca asked for the fifty eighth time.

"No it's fine. I've got my big strong man!" Aubrey confirmed. "I guess this is it then."

Aubrey encased Chloe in a long, long hug.

"Love you Bree."

"Love you Chlo."

"Hey Jesse?" Chloe said with a smirk.

"Be good to her."

"You have my word." Jesse replied with a cheeky grin, as he got in the car, and the two new room-mates watched as they drove into the distance.

Beca sat down on the sofa back in the apartment with a soft wince, and all attempts at covering it up were useless under the watchful eyes of Chloe.

"Are you okay? Is your side hurting? Let me see, I knew you shouldn't have been lifting those boxes with broken ribs, not to mention your broken arm!" Chloe was in full on panicking mother hen mode.

"Chloe it's fine. Just a bit sore." Beca stood up to get a drink from the kitchen to prove her point, only to end up wincing again.

"See it's not fine. Let me see."

"It's normal to hurt for a while! Probably, I mean, I don't actually know, but..."

"Let me see." Chloe's voice was stern, but comforting.

Beca reluctantly lifted the side of her shirt with her good arm, revealing an angry purple bruise all up her left side.

"Holy shit Beca! Jesus Christ." Chloe whispered, as she ran a finger up Beca's side, unaware of the flutterings in Beca's stomach as she did so.

Beca took a sharp breath and took Chloe's wrist with her hand to stop her movements.

"Sorry." Chloe whispered, making no attempt to move her hand, as she made close eye contact with Beca.

Beca slowly released Chloe's hand, but kept eye contact as the hand dropped to her side.

She took another deep, shaky breath as Chloe pulled her top down, her fingers lingering over the soft material for longer than was necessary.

Chloe coughed, breaking the tension, and stated simply: "I'm really tired. I need to go to bed. Night." With that she scuttled off to her room, shutting the door behind her.

Beca stood dumbfounded and what had just occurred. She really thought that Chloe was going to kiss her. It had happened twice that day actually. What was going on? Had she misread the signals?

She decided all would be clearer after some rest, but stopped in her tracks as she realised she'd be sleeping in her own room tonight. Not with Chloe. Weaving through the boxes which lay in various states of unpackedness, she stripped off to her t shirt and underwear, and fell asleep alone for the first time in nearly a week.


End file.
